Preach to us governorGov. Mike Huckabee has two qualities that will serve him well in the coming special sessions, if he will use them to his full ability. First is the charisma that is almost a job requirement for a successful Southern Baptist preacher, which is the first item on his resume. In almost all situations, the governor projects sincerity, honesty and clarity of vision. Second, the governor has a genuinely good heart. A few years ago, during a luncheon ...

Economy still limping, reports showWord came from Washington on Friday that the national economy grew at an anemic rate of 1.6 percent in the first quarter. The Associated Press news alert said that the economy "eked" out that growth. That's a good way of putting it. Eked out. Scraped by. By the hair of its chinny-chin-chin. The economy has been limping along for about two years now, with no great promise in sight. Maybe, though, the end to the actual war in Iraq - coupled with...

Corporate accountability sorely lackingAbout the only thing Dana Corp. and American Airlines have in common is that they both deal with transportation. Dana makes parts for vehicles, and American Airlines flies people hither and yon. Examples of how those two companies' top executives act in regard to shrinking profits and less-than-expected performance tells a great deal about where Corporate America stands today. This week, American Airlines is teetering on the verge of bankruptc...

Water woesWhen Liz McClanahan of London first called our office, the story she told seemed somewhat unbelievable. No one, we thought, could have as much gall as it would take to do the things Mrs. McClanahan said someone had done. But, two weeks and a whole lot of phone calls and faxes and conversations later, we have seen nothing to dissuade us from Mrs. McClanahan's original position -- someone tried to pull a fast one. The story has played itself out...

Good news: Greenspan to continuePresident George W. Bush made perhaps the wisest economic decision of his presidential term this week when he openly supported a fifth term for Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. The bespectacled and quiet Greenspan has been a calming influence amid the swirling fury of this nation's economy in recent years. He's presided over the Fed like a confident patriarch, punching just the right buttons at the right time. His leadership has helped...

Letters policy explained, defendedOn a daily basis, the Postal Service or our Internet provider will deliver missives from readers for publication. Some of these letters are "thank yous" to supporters of this event or that group. Some are commentaries on current events here and abroad. Some are mean-spirited, personal attacks on public officials, members of the community, whomever. We print letters in the first two categories. We do not publish those in the third. Our long-sta...

New way to pick a police chiefA couple years seems to be about the longevity of anyone holding the title of Russellville police chief. In that time, the chief in this burg seems to get on the bad side of City Hall, the department's rank and file or somebody squeaky wheel. Whoever the antagonist is, the end result is the same - a police chief leaving in a less-than-amicable way. We find ourselves in that situation now, after Chief Ron Stobaugh resigned last week in the wake...

City group should find new chiefA couple years seems to be about the longevity of anyone holding the title of Russellville police chief. In that time, the chief in this burg seems to get on the bad side of City Hall, the department's rank and file or somebody squeaky wheel. Whoever the antagonist is, the end result is the same - a police chief leaving in a less-than-amicable way. We find ourselves in that situation now, after Chief Ron Stobaugh resigned last week in the wake...

One more try for legislatorsBack in January as the General Assembly was preparing to meet, those 135 men and women had two major tasks and one throw-in from the governor. They needed to: A. Pass a budget. B. Overhaul the public school system. C. Consider Gov. Mike Huckabee's plan to reorganize state government. Ninety-four days later, what progress have those men and women elected to leadership posts made on those issues? They didn't pass a budget. They did virtually not...

Council chose wisely with no actionCooler heads prevailed Thursday night when Russellville City Council members did not vote to remove the mayor from the hiring/firing processes involving fire and police chiefs. The measure died a quiet death, without a vote on an issue that has reared its head repeatedly in past years. We've been consistent in opposing such a personnel responsibility shift. An arrangement under which the mayor supervises police and fire chiefs but only Civil S...

Council made right call on chiefsCooler heads prevailed Thursday night when Russellville City Council members did not vote to remove the mayor from the hiring/firing processes involving fire and police chiefs. The measure died a quiet death, without a vote on an issue that has reared its head repeatedly in past years. We've been consistent in opposing such a personnel responsibility shift. An arrangement under which the mayor supervises police and fire chiefs but only Civil S...

Utter failureThe Titanic. The XFL. Playboy's inaugural swimsuit issue. All colossal failures. Add to that list the 2003 version of the state's Legislature. The 135 representatives and senators ended a marathon session late Wednesday night. How did they do on the three major issues that had been set before them? -- Developing a budget for the next two years. Nope. Watching the newby lawmakers -- and their "experienced" colleagues -- was often painful, espec...

Legislators should do what's rightIn these recent days of the legislative session, we've heard a lot about how the representatives and senators who walk those marbled halls at the state Capitol should represent their constituents. Do what the folks back home want. On its face, that argument sounds like a recipe for amicable government. We live in Arkansas. The state's motto is "regnat populus." The people rule. The people's elected leaders should get their marching orders from...

'Embedding' leads to ethics issuesNow that the fighting phase of Gulf War II is just about over and the main threats involve suicide bombers, angry Arabs around the world and every other enemy who existed before this military action, we can inspect facets of the war besides the cruise missile attacks and the targets of opportunity. Embedded reporters. This war was much different than the original Gulf War in that media folks were right there on the front lines. Covering Gulf W...

U.S. troops now serving as policeIn the weeks leading up to Gulf War II, we noted that the hard part might not be winning the military war but preserving the peace afterward. Thus far in this exercise, that prognostication looks to be fairly accurate. U.S. and coalition forces have taken over most of Iraq's largest cities and have sent Saddam Hussein's government packing. The aftermath, though, is a volatile mix of vigilante justice and a society without law. Secretary of Def...

Good week came at just the right timeWe've needed a week like this for a while. U.S. troops marched into Baghdad, virtually ending the war phase of our action to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The war lasted about three weeks, with coalition forces going just about where they wanted to when they wanted to and suffering many fewer casualties than many had predicted. Economic reports from Washington showed that consumer spending jumped sizably in March, helped in part because ...

Good week came at just the right timeWe've needed a week like this for a while. U.S. troops marched into Baghdad, virtually ending the war phase of our action to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The war lasted about three weeks, with coalition forces going just about where they wanted to when they wanted to and suffering many fewer casualties than many had predicted. Economic reports from Washington showed that consumer spending jumped sizably in March, helped in part because ...

Troops take Iraqi capitalLiberating the Iraqi capital of Baghdad came much easier to U.S. and coalition forces than seemed possible to those who expected a fierce fight for the city of 5 million. It was possible, if not easy, to imagine that many Iraqis would not view U.S. forces as being liberators but being troops of The Great Satan who came to Baghdad to plunder one locale of the Arab world. After all, it was just a short time ago that folks from that part of the w...

Defining privilege, public dutyRussellville Alderman Paul Gray and Alderwoman Faye Abernathy made their bids for goofiest statement of the year Tuesday. While discussing whether to allow public comments at City Council meetings, Gray contended that the council ought to limit those kinds of communications because it's a privilege to speak to such an esteemed group. A privilege ? We can think of a number of words to describe debating issues with this council, but privilege wo...

Question: Is Saddam dead or alive?Saddam Hussein and two of his sons may be dead. U.S. bombers air delivered four massive payloads at a Baghdad restaurant on Monday. Intelligence reports had pegged the restaurant as a meeting place for the group. So, the Iraqi leader may be a bad memory. But how will we know for sure? The restaurant and nearby buildings are a big pile of rubble now. Forensics experts may or may not be able to ever discern the identities of anyone who was insid...